Dragon Sword
The is the primary weapon used by Ryu Hayabusa in the Ninja Gaiden video game series. The ultimate form of this weapon is known as the . In this state, it is a divine weapon of immense power and, canonically, one of the most powerful weapons in Ninja Gaiden. Description Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword A Japanese Sword handed down in the Hayabusa Ninja Clan. It is carved from a dragon's fang. True Dragon Sword The legendary, ultimate form of the Dragon Sword, achieved by fitting the Eye of the Dragon into the hilt of the Dragon Sword. Ninja Gaiden II Dragon Sword The symbol of the Dragon Ninja; passed down for generations. This legendary Japanese sword has been passed down through generations to the Dragon Lineage’s current heir. Its amazingly sharp blade, carved from the fang of an ancient Dragon, is responsible for the deaths of evil beings too numerous to count. As long as the sword remains on this earth, it may only be wielded by a descendant of the Dragon Lineage bloodline. Ryu Hayabusa now carries the sword, just as his father, Joe Hayabusa, did before him. During the Dark Dragon Blade Incident one year ago, Ryu took up the Dragon Sword in his father’s absence. Ryu defeated a multitude of powerful enemies and avenged his clan, but he was still not the true possessor of the Dragon Sword. Joe, still healthy and strong, did not want to needlessly rush the handing down of the sacred blade. However, after witnessing Ryu’s bravery, valor, and strength during this Incident, Joe resolved to pass down the legendary weapon to his son. True Dragon Sword The true form of the Dragon Sword, brimming with sacred power. When the Eye of the Dragon is fitted into the Dragon Sword’s hilt, it unleashes the spiritual power of the Dragon hidden in the blade. The weapon in this state is called the True Dragon Sword, and its incredible power is unrivaled. The bearer of this divine weapon must possess the physical strength, vigorous spirit, and proficiency of technique necessary to wield it properly. If a weaker being were to attempt to use it, the blade may very well feed on the bearer’s soul. The immense power contained within the True Dragon Sword upsets the delicate balance of a peaceful world, and it is argued that there are very few instances in which such a powerful weapon should be allowed to exist. Thus, it has become customary to store the Dragon Sword and Eye of the Dragon in separate locations. History The Dragon Sword was created at a perilous time after the Dragons were betrayed by one of their own. With their strength gone, the Dragons placed all their essence, souls, and spiritual power into one of their own fangs, creating the Dragon Sword." Their strength drained by the evil of the Dark Dragon, the remaining dragons placed their last hope in the hands of the humans in the form of one of their own fangs. Thus was born the Dragon Sword, a formidable weapon inhabited by the very essence of the powers of the dragons." -Intro, Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword This divine weapon was then entrusted to the strongest and most spiritually pure of mankind, a warrior who would be the start of the Dragon Lineage bloodline."Among the strongest of mankind, Dragons’ blood courses through their veins. Members of this bloodline, the Dragon Lineage, have vowed to stay vigilant and protect our world from the threat of the Archfiends." -Ninja Gaiden 2 instruction booklet With the Dragon Sword, the Dragon Lineage warrior was able to slay the Dark Dragon, and his descendants the Dragon Ninja were able to banish the Evil Deities and their Fiends. As time went on, the Dragon Sword was passed down through the generations of Dragon Ninja, all the way to their modern descendants, the Dragon Ninja of the Hayabusa Ninja Clan."In the countless millennia since, the dragons have long since perished. But their spirit remains in the form of that sword, now carried by the descendants of the humans that fought by the side on that fateful day." -Intro, Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword The Dragon Sword was used by ancient warriors to slay the Black Dragons and it is handed down from generation to generation in the Hayabusa Ninja clan & the last dragon ninja who wields it is Ryu Hayabusa . Plot Ninja Gaiden/Ninja Gaiden Sigma While training in the sacred wilderness, Joe Hayabusa entrusted the Dragon Sword to his son Ryu, who had recently accepted his uncle, Murai's invitation for special training in his father's absence."He has entrusted me with the sword while he continues his training." -Ryu Hayabusa, Ninja Gaiden Upon arriving at Murai's Shadow Ninja fortress, Ryu is forced to use the Dragon Sword as he is assaulted by Murai's Shadow Ninja. Many Shadow Ninja fall to the Dragon Sword as Ryu works his way up to Murai. After their duel, Ryu and Murai have a brief discussion before he is informed of an attack on the Hayabusa village. Rushing back to the village Ryu finds it under attack by Samurai warriors, and proceeds to kill them all with his Dragon Sword as he makes his way to the village center to face the last remaining samurai. He arrives to see the unfortunate end of his childhood friend, Kureha, who is impaled by a fiendish samurai named Doku. As she died, Kureha grasped the Dragon Eye jewel in her hand, trying to inform Ryu, but died before she could. Doku was then able to kill Ryu with the Dark Dragon Blade. Ryu would eventually overcome death, and follow Doku's trail to Tairon, the capital city of the Vigoor Empire. In Tairon, Ryu slayed many thousands of Vigoor special ops, soldiers and fiends with his Dragon Sword in a bid to call out the Dark Dragon Blade. It was in Tairon where Ryu met the legendary blacksmith Muramasa, who informed Ryu of his Dragon Sword's potential for unfathomable spiritual power, but it was missing a special jewel in the hilt."It has the potential for unfathomable spirit power... But this sword alone will not do. There is a place to fit a jewel here, you see; a curved jewel carved out of a dragon's eye... with it, in the right hands this sword will prove more than a match for the Dark Dragon Blade." -Muramasa, Ninja Gaiden After activating the portals, Ryu took one back to his village, where upon Kureha's grave was the Dragon Eye jewel mentioned by Muramasa. Ryu fitted it into the hilt of the Dragon Sword, forming the True Dragon Sword. With it, Ryu took out the rest of the fiends to face the Vigoor Emperor, who now had powers on the level of a supreme deity after unsealing the Dark Dragon Blade."If a new warrior of the Dragon Lineage shall appear, the Holy Emperor shall be infused with the power of the Evil Deities." -The Book of the Future, Ninja Gaiden After a long intense battle, Ryu defeated the Emperor with the aid of his True Dragon Sword, and the incident finally ended when Ryu shattered the once-thought unbreakable Dark Dragon Blade with the mightier True Dragon Sword."A young Ninja named Ryu Hayabusa, survivor of the Hyabusa Clan and descendant of the Dragon Lineage, took up his family's legendary birthright, the Dragon Sword, to face this threat alone. At the end of an intense battle, Ryu shattered the evil Dark Dragon Blade into countless shards with a blow from his Dragon Sword. -The Dark Dragon Blade Incident, Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword Ryu is later seen returning the Dragon Eye jewel to Kureha's grave. Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword Six months later, Ryu and the surviving Hayabusa clan would rebuild their village, repelling an invasion by the Black Spider clan. However, Kureha's younger sister, Momiji, would be taken captive by the Black Spider clan in all the confusion. Afterwards, Ryu would journey throughout the world with his trusty Dragon Sword, following the Dark Dragonstones while slaying the thousands of fiends and Black Spider ninja who stood in his way in an effort to save Momiji. This conflict would cumulate in Hell where Ryu confronts the "captivating goddesses" Ishtaros and Nicchae. At first, Ryu is overwhelmed by Ishtaros, who has been empowered with all the Dark Dragonstones. The odds are even when Momiji releases the Dragon Eye to Ryu, enabling him to wield the True Dragon Sword once again. With the True Dragon Sword, Ryu is able to kill all the Evil Deities and rescue Momiji. Ninja Gaiden II/Sigma 2 Another six months passed, now Ryu would fully inherit the Dragon Sword as Joe formally passes it on him. Soon after Ryu would end the Vampire War by cutting down the Vampire Lord Crimson with his Dragon Sword. Ryu then journeys to Sky City Tokyo after hearing about the Black Spider clan's malicious intent in the metropolis. As he kills all the Black Spider ninja in the city, Ryu uncovers a second alliance between the Black Spider clan and the Fiends; with the Black Spider clan allying themselves to destroy their Hayabusa clan rival, and the fiend's more sinister plot to awaken a supreme Evil Deity, known as the Archfiend. Ryu quickly rushes back to his village to find it under attack once again. While the Black Spider ninjas kept Ryu busy, Elizébet manages to slip away with the Demon statue. She would unseal the ties that bound the Evil Deities from their eternal slumber with the Demon Statue, a banishment placed on them by the Dragon Ninja of the ancient era. Carrying on the duties of his ancient ancestors, Ryu journeys the world following Elizébet, and dealing death to all the Black Spider Ninja and Fiends in his path, including their immortal rulers. His worldly journey would take him back to his village, where Ryu encounters Ayane, who had taken back the Dragon's Eye from the Black Spider Clan's witch, Obaba. Uniting the two dragon relics, Ryu once again brings the True Dragon Sword into existence. Ryu then journeys into the depths of hell with his trusty True Dragon Sword, destroying all manner of fiends in his path to face the Archfiend, in a climatic one on one show down. Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge In London, armed terrorist open fire on the streets killing many civilians as they took over the Parliament building, holding the surviving civilians and the Prime Minister hostage. For unknown reasons the terrorist demanded Ryu Hayabusa come to London. Eventually Ryu finds himself in London, where all the terrorists are cut down with the Dragon Sword. Upon arriving at the Parliament building, Ryu finds himself too late as their leader the Regent of the Mask kills all the civilians and the Prime Minister. Ryu and the Regent then duel in a one on one sword fight. As Ryu delivers the finishing deathblow, the Regent places a curse on Ryu, causing the Dragon Sword to be absorbed into Ryu's arm. Later in the game Cliff, revealing himself to be the instigator behind the scenes, removes the Dragon Sword from Ryu's body, showing it purified of the hatred and malice it gathered over the centuries. The Dragon Sword falls into the hands of Canna now transmuted into a creature called the Goddess. She is infused with Dragon Lineage blood taken from Ryu earlier by Cliff, this allowed her to wield the Dragon Sword without it harming her. As the Goddess went on a rampage throughout Tokyo, Ryu tracks her down and fights against the very sword his clan had treasured. After a heated battle, the Jashinken sword once held by Genshin, the Lord of the Dark Ninja of the Black Spider Clan is broken to its hilt, but the Dragon Sword returns to Ryu, who with the Dragon's Eye, uses the Dragon Sword to destroy the Goddess. Because Canna was an innocent, the True Dragon Sword spared her life, only cutting down the Goddess exterior. With his mission complete, and the Sword in safe hands once more, the Dragon Ninja disappears into the rising sun, returning to his village. Ninja Gaiden (NES) Ryu finds a letter written by his father, informing him that he has gone to a life and death duel and, if he should not return, Ryu is to take the Dragon Sword to America and talk to Dr. Walter Smith, an archaeologist friend of his. Dragon Sword in hand, Ryu swears revenge and heads to America. Once there he discovers a plot orchestrated by the Jaquio to resurrect the Demon, the Evil Deity once put to rest by ancestor of Ryu's with the same Dragon Sword. Facing his brainwashed father, Ryu cuts down both the Jaquio and the Demon. Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom Upon hearing that Irene supposedly died at his hands, Ryu takes his dragon sword in hand to uncover the truth behind Irene's death. Fighting trough bio-mechanical and genetically engineered monsters, including a copy of himself, Ryu discovers that Irene faked her death to uncover the same plot that Ryu was fighting. Ryu then proceeds to cut down H.P. Clancy and save the world from his ancient dimensional ship. Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos Ryu travels on the rooftops of New York, killing demonic forces with the Dragon Sword, while making his way to the train station. As Ryu questions these attacks, Robert T. Sturgeon appears from the shadows informing Ryu that Irene had been kidnapped, telling to head to the Tower of Lahja. Ryu makes his way to the Temple of Lahja. Scaling to the top of the tower Ryu encounters Ashtar, who was holding Irene hostage. Ashtar using Irene as a shield, opened a portal to the demon world and hoped through. Ryu and Robert then followed before the portal closed. On the other side Ryu made his way to Ashtar, who stabbed Irene, critically injuring her. In a hard fought duel, Ryu slays the sorcerer and rescues Irene. Irene then tells Ryu that he has to destroy an altar before demon is revived. Ryu heads on further while asking Robert to escort Irene out of the Demon Realm. However Ryu senses something strange when he battles familiar enemies. At the altar of sacrifice, Ryu finds an injured Robert who informs him that the Jaquio had taken Irene, telling Ryu to head on as he held off the incoming demons. Ryu then reaches the altar of sacrifice where the Jaquio reveals that he had been resurrected by the Demon upon it's death, giving him unfathomable power. Despite this Ryu used the Dragon Sword to kill the Jaquio, but his blood flows trough the floor and eventually touches The Dark Sword of Chaos, sapping the life out of Irene as sacrifice and reviving him as the Demon of Destruction. After a hard battle Ryu defeats the Jaquio Demon. Ryu is distraught by the death of Irene when a glow coming from the Dragon Sword takes his attention. The Sword proceeded to turn into a sphere of light and entered Irene, reviving her. Advantages *Arguably the most versatile weapon in the games. *Effective combos. *Becomes considerably stronger when The Eye of The Dragon is fitted. *The Flying Swallow is one of the best moves in the games. *Legendary sword that is said to cut through anything. *Can be used with elemental abilities that makes its attacks more destructive. *Can deflect and block many elements such as titanium, diamond, plasma, etc. Disadvantages *Average Range. *Ending the Flying Swallow chain leaves Ryu wide open. *Not much stun on large enemies. *Flying Swallow less effective against enemies in Ninja Gaiden Black, since many can easily dodge, block or even counter it. Utilization The Dragon Sword is the most balanced weapon in Ninja Gaiden, making it useful for every situation. However this balance gives it a lack of specialization the other weapons have, such as the Falcon Talon's speed and the Kusari-Gama's range. It is still very fast and it's True Dragon Sword form is able to deal out massive damage. Moves List Trivia *''Ninja Gaiden'' was originally titled "Ninja Ryukenden", which means Ninja Dragon Sword Legend. It was changed to "Ninja Gaiden" (Ninja Side Story) when translated to English because Japanese developers thought Gaiden was easier for westerners to pronounce than Ryukenden. *The True Dragon Sword has a blueish purple aura, however in Ninja Gaiden 3 this is not present. **Ryu also cannot use the True Dragon Sword in gameplay. *The Dragon Sword, know as Ryuken (龍剣) in Japanese, is imbued with the essence of the 12 Dragons who defeated Vigoor. In Japanese, Ryu (龍), meaning "dragon", can also be translated to its plural "dragons". *Because of the immense spiritual power of the Sword, only the Dragon Ninjas such as Ryu and his father Joe Hayabusa can actually wield it without harming themselves. However, normal people will not be harmed if they simply hold it, such as Muramasa when he asked Ryu to let him take a look at the Sword, the other being Cliff Higgins, as he simply grabbed the Sword and threw it to the Goddess Chamber. *By getting 1,000 Gamerscore in Halo 3, one unlocks the dragon sword on the back of the Hayabusa Chest Armour. *In the OVA, the Dragon Sword is a Ninjato (Short Ninja Sword) with a dragon engraved onto the blade, causing the blade to glow when Ryu focuses his energies. *In the original Ninja Gaiden series, the Dragon Sword shows it has the power to restore life, as it resurrected the murdered Irene Lew. *In Ninja Gaiden 3, Jo Hayabusa reveals that the Dragon Sword was originally a gift for the descendants of the Dragon God to slay the Archfiends, but was corrupted by the malice and hate it encapsulated into the blade over the millennia. A dragon ninja from ancient times suffered a curse similar to Ryu's Grip of Murder, but that Dragon Ninja died, only the Dragon Sword was left. *The True Dragon Sword can only kill that which is truly evil. Since Canna wasn't evil, the sword spared her life. In its dormant state however, the Dragon Sword is in discriminant, killing any and all that is cut by its keen edge. *The Sword can only be used by the Dragon Ninja because they possess the blood of the Dragon God in their veins. *In Ninja Gaiden 3, player's Unknown Ninja can use the Dragon Sword when their katana skill level is level 10. *During Chapter 14 of Ninja Gaiden II, it is dual-wielded with the Blade of the Archfiend replacing Dragon's Claw and Tiger's Fang. * The Dragon Sword is said to be able to slice through anything, and this has been proven to be true, so far. It should be noted that the Dragon Sword has, in very few occasions, clashed with other extremely powerful blades. Such as the Tempest Blade, which was cut in half by the Dragon Sword. * As shown in Dead or Alive, the Dragon Sword can negate healing factors, seen when Ryu stabbed Omega, who can heal at a Superhuman rate. * Apparently, the True Dragon Sword can destroy evil beings in one blow. Suggested by Ryu's defeat of Crimson in the Vampire Wars prologue motion comic. This, however, is obviously not present in terms of gameplay, but perhaps in story canon. * The power of the True Dragon Sword is shared with Ryu. Evidenced by the intro screen of chapter 11 of Ninja Gaiden 2. Gallery True dragon sword.jpg|The awakened form of the Dragon Sword from Ninja Gaiden I. Shin ryuken.jpg|The awakened Dragon Sword as shown during an explanation in Ninja Gaiden DS. TrueDragonSword.png|The True Dragon Sword from Ninja Gaiden II. TDS BotA.png|The True Dragon Sword and the Blade of the Archfiend from Ninja Gaiden II. Ngii 20080508 screen018.jpg|Ryu decapitating a werewolf with the Dragon Sword. _ICONS_Melee_DragonSword1_NG1_Render-Weapon_NG1SP_643155_20120106_screen026.jpg|NG1-Sigma: Dragon Sword levels 1 to 3 References Category:Weapons Category:Ninja Gaiden Weapons Category:Ninja Gaiden 2 Weapons Category:Ninja Gaiden 3 Weapons Category:Ninja Gaiden (NES) Weapons Category:Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos Weapons Category:Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom Weapons Category:Intact